An internationally-renowned jazz musician who regularly played in Sanderstead and Croydon alongside world-famous venues such as Ronnie Scott’s has passed away.

Val Mannix was a staple of the jazz scene in London and beyond for more than half a century but sadly succumbed to heart and liver disease in July with his wife Brenda by his side.

The 73-year-old who was most known for a great sense of humour and his ‘deft-touch and timing’ on a double bass was also a strong piano player and part of the legendary avant-garde movement of the 70s which rejuvenated the genre.

Born in Sri Lanka before coming over to the UK as a health worker, there were two sides to Val, one a hard grafting nurse by day and the other a light-hearted natural musician by night.

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One of seven siblings in a musical family and originally playing piano, Val learnt the double bass after coming to the UK.

Initially settling in South Norwood in Croydon, Val worked for a number of years at the Warlingham Park Hospital for psychiatric patients before it closed in 1999 and moved to Whyteleafe where he lived with wife Brenda for more than 30 years.

The couple, who met at Piano evening classes at Goldsmiths College in 1982, married in Las Vegas in 2008. Although they have any children together, Val had one son and three grandchildren from a previous marriage.

Val Mannix at the Robertsbridge Jazz Club (Image: Neil Garrett)

His wife Brenda said: “He had a real love of music and he just always wanted to be playing the double bass, he was a very single minded musician like that. He was a gentle man, had a love of animals and enthusiastically kept up with all the young new music and new bands from American and in jazz.

“We were both at evening class when we met and it was after that he focused more on the double bass. Sadly he was very ill towards the end.”

Brenda also confirmed that he got back into playing jazz full-time after taking an early retirement in 2000 after a heart attack and a triple bypass operation.

During his jazz career, Val played at Sanderstead URC Church and The Oval Tavern in Addiscombe on several occasions and videos of him performing at the Croydon Clocktower are also available on Youtube alongside gigs at the Royal Festival Hall.

He previously played with Courtney Pine in the Jazz Warriors, the Mark Ambler Trio in the 1980s as well as with American Dave Brubeck and was part of the The Gilad Atzmon Quartet in the 1990s. He also played at the late Frank Holder's 90th Birthday Gig three years ago in Soho.

In recent years he was part of the Jo Fooks Quintet and the Ted Beament Trio which saw him at a number of more local venues across south London, Surrey and East Sussex including at the Robertsbridge Jazz Club, The Bull's Head in Barnes, The Spice of Life in Soho, The Hawth in Crawley and the Charlwood Parish Hall during the Mole Valley Arts Alive Festival several times.

Val Mannix with his double bass (Image: The Mannix Family)

Despite becoming ill again in 2013 he kept playing regularly until earlier this year.

Ted Tomkins, 77, from Clapham, teaches music at Guildhall in the Barbican and knew Val for 40 years.

He said: "He was a lovely man both in his music and in his life, just a nice fella. We just met at a gig one night and struck up a friendship. We've played in many different sets with different people over the years. Everyone who knew him liked him, he was an excellent bass player with a good sense of humour.

"I spoke to Val only two days before his death, I knew he'd been on oxygen but he sounded like his old self and really chirpy so it came as quite a sad shock when Brenda told me."

Ted Beament, 77, knew Val for more than 20 years and said: “We met up and played at a gig together a long time ago and have played in a number of different groups together all over the place at a number of venues including Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

“Val has worked with some amazing musicians from the avant-garde period in the 1960s and 70s until more recently. He had a deft-touch and great timing on the double bass and was a really nice, friendly guy who was always generous.”

Ted's brother, Pete Beament, who runs the Robertsbridge Jazz Club in East Sussex, added: “He was a very outgoing guy, just a nice chap and would always chip in with a story to tell. I remember his sense of humour, he knew some great jokes. We knew he was having problems and had gone into hospital, it is of course very sad especially for his wife and family.”

Val passed away on Saturday, July 14 and his funeral will take place on Tuesday, August 14 at Croydon Crematorium.